Blog it!

I loved this chapter. As a future educator I think it is so important to stay in touch with what students are doing outside the classroom and how it can be brought into the classroom to relate to them and that right now is through technology. I mean look at one of Kajder's first topics-blogs. I think that we should have a classroom blog along with our individual blogs, to help share more ideas with classmates. And even though we do not all share the same teaching area-math, English, science, history-I think that we can all learn from each other and the difference of teaching each subject. But anyways, the idea of having a classroom blog where there is more than just words is exciting, bringing in videos, pictures, outside sources and even comments from those who are not even in the class brings all sorts of new perspectives to students. Podcasting and book trailers sound like a good medium for students who are more artistically or communicationlly inclined. The wiki page is something I want to utilize in the classroom, it sounds like a great way to really dig deeper into a novel or play, and it might even be fun. The only problem with all of these ideas is that they are definitely geared towards English classes. I can see how social sciences might be able to get their foot in the door, and I am interested how math and sciences can apply these tools to their teaching methods.

Everybody Talks

Robert E. Probst takes the idea of talking in the classroom to a whole new level in this chapter. Whenever I think of talking in class I don't normally think of deep conversations but rather getting students to listen and not whisper snide comments and rude remarks to their friends. Speaking in class is not a fun thing. I have never enjoyed it and I'm not sure that I ever will. Peers are harsh and judgmental. Getting ideas across clearly is also a concern. I had always wished that teachers would provide some sort of sheet with discussion topics on it so that coming to class with thoughts prepared was an option. I think a problem that educators are faced with is getting students to clearly articulate their thoughts. That is one of the worst things about speaking up in class, making sure that your thoughts are clear so that everyone can understand what you are trying to communicate. Not only is clearly explaining your thoughts important, but actually having a thought on the topic. Sometimes a student just doesn't care about the topic at hand. One day in high school my AP Lit teacher was having a particularly hard time to get discussion out of us after a dry portion of The Grapes of Wrath. Instead she turned the conversation completely around and made us argue as to why the due date for our paper on the novel should be pushed back. Every single hand shot up in the class. After the debate (which we won) my teacher asked us why couldn't we communicate like that during other aspects of class discussion. Allowing for students to be more prepared for classroom discussion while at the same time making sure that there is at least a kernel of interest to the students I believe will go a long way in improving classroom discussion.

Expectations

The idea of adapting teaching your teaching style is not new information, but it is the way that teachers did it that is different; the refusal to accept failure. This almost seemed like a 'duh' moment while reading. of course you don't want your students to fail, but as I read it became clear that many students were not learning because they were allowed not to try. Excuses were accepted, allowed. I appreciated Carter's approach to interest his students in writing. Carter eased them into it, introducing music that students could connect to and then having them act it out and finally putting the story into words. By doing other activities it allows for a student to feel out what the characters are thinking, how they are feeling, and helps make it easier to put words on a paper. Something that I noted about the teachers from both case studies (Carter and Miss M.) although obviously wanted their students to succeed, presented themselves as professional, not as the students friend. They were almost cold, although not, in their teaching style. They just wanted their students to succeed. The story of Donny and his mother made me wonder at the school system in general; Donny's mother tried so hard to contact the school, to voice her concerns for her son and nothing was done. There cannot be an acceptance of failure in students because of their background or it is just "to be expected."

ELL in the Classroom

      This chapter was definitely differently styled than the rest of the book so far. Danling, Cindy, and Carol's explanation of what is needed in the classroom to promote more understanding for ELL students. in figure 8-4 it discusses different ways to "cultivate cultural harmony" which I found would be easy enough activities to include in the classroom setting. My personal favorites were to ask the ELL students to share literature that they read in their native language. This could also be modified to their favorite book, a popular book, or a historically significant piece. Another was letting all students talk about family stories about culture and tradition. This way it includes everyone, and ELL students can see that they are not alone in different cultural roots, creating an opening environment for all students. The survey given by the teacher to students concerning ways that can help the student made my heart break a little bit. Students are obviously trying to hard to adjust to a new language, situation, and perhaps even life. Patience is key, while being supportive of the transition while at the same time providing the tools and skills necessary to helps the ELL students learn to excel.